Preakness Preview Day at Laurel Park this Saturday, April 18, will supply an attention-grabbing advance sneak peek into subsequent month’s Preakness Stakes and supporting races. Saturday’s 12-race Laurel program starting at midday Jap time will characteristic 5 stakes races that may have an effect on subsequent month’s races over Preakness weekend, which this 12 months might be contested proper again at Laurel as Pimlico undergoes reconstruction.
Preakness Preview Day at Laurel might be headlined by the operating of the Federico Tesio Stakes, which is able to supply an computerized berth into the Preakness Stakes to the winner.
Laurel’s Preakness Preview Day races might be broadcast dwell on FanDuel TV and also will be featured on a livestream by the workforce at America’s Greatest Racing. ABR’s “Preakness Preview Day LIVE!” present will stream Saturday from 2:30-5 p.m. ET specializing in Laurel’s 5 Saturday stakes races culminating with the Federico Tesio.
Hosted by ABR’s Dan Tordjman and Alexa Zepp together with Tim Littau, the present will characteristic particular friends and handicapping insights. “Preakness Preview Day LIVE!” is sponsored by the Nationwide Thoroughbred League and might be streamed on America’s Greatest Racing’s Fb, X, and YouTube channels.
Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the 5 stakes races included on Saturday’s Preakness Preview Day card at Laurel Park.
Race 7: $100,000 Dahlia Stakes
Distance and circumstances: One mile on turf for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up
Put up time: 2:52 p.m. ET
Wagering Menu: Win/place/present, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, tremendous hi-5, double, decide 3, decide 6
Background: The Dahlia Stakes is a prep race for the $150,000, Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the Could 16 Preakness undercard at Laurel.
Dahlia Stakes Evaluation: The Dahlia Stakes has drawn a discipline of 9 fillies and mares set to run a mile on the grass. The 2 horses to beat within the race, #4 Ribaltagaia and #5 Summerintahoe are each making their seasonal debut coming off lengthy layoffs. They’ll be robust to beat in the event that they return from the sidelines in mid-season kind, however in any other case they may very well be susceptible favorites. Ribaltagaia is skilled by Graham Movement and was final seen ending second in Monmouth Park’s $100,000 Violet Stakes final August, whereas Summerintahoe gained her most up-to-date outing late final summer time in a seven-furlong allowance non-obligatory claiming race at Kentucky Downs. In case you are in search of an upset candidate, one of the best place to look is with #9 Amie’s Symphony, who gained a Laurel turf race at this distance final fall and exits a third-place end in a tricky Gulfstream Park turf occasion in her final begin.
Race 8: $100,000 King T. Leatherbury Stakes
Distance and circumstances: 5 ½ furlongs on turf for 3-year-olds and up
Put up time: 3:22 p.m. ET
Wagering menu: Win/place/present, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, tremendous hi-5, double, decide 3, Worth Decide 5 (12% takeout)
Background: Named for the not too long ago deceased legendary Maryland-based coach King Leatherbury, this race is a prep for the $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Dash to be run on the Could 16 Preakness undercard at Laurel. This race begins Laurel’s late Worth Decide 5 which affords bettors an industry-low 12% takeout.
Leatherbury Stakes Evaluation: The Leatherbury Stakes has drawn a full discipline of turf sprinters able to sprint 5 ½ furlongs. The massive title on this discipline is #5 Doncho, who gained final summer time’s $151,000 Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs however is most properly often called the horse that broke the 5 ½ furlong turf world document by operating :59.75 in a victory at Ellis Park on Aug. 8, 2025. Clearly if Doncho exhibits up and does that once more he won’t be beat, however this might be his 2026 debut outing following a six-month layoff and a prime effort like that is perhaps unrealistic. Different prime contenders embrace defending Leatherbury Stakes champion #9 Fore Harp, and native turf dash hero #4 Needed to Have Him, who begins his 2026 season after ending his 2025 marketing campaign with back-to-back 5 ½-furlong Laurel turf dash wins within the $100,000 Laurel Sprint and the $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Dash.
Race 9: $150,000 Weber Metropolis Miss Stakes
Distance and circumstances: 1 1/16 miles on dust for 3-year-old fillies
Put up Time: 3:51 p.m. ET
Wagering menu: Win/place/present, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, tremendous hi-5, double, decide 3, decide 4
Background: The Weber Metropolis Miss Stakes is the native prep race for the $300,000, Grade 2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyes Susan Stakes to be run at Laurel on Friday, Could 15.
Weber Metropolis Miss Stakes Evaluation: A discipline of 9 3-year-old fillies takes to the monitor hoping to earn a visit to subsequent month’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. The standout within the discipline is #8 Leaping the Gun, who returns to the monitor off a four-month layoff for her sophomore debut after a 2-year-old marketing campaign the place she by no means completed out of the exacta in 5 begins together with successful two Delaware Park stakes races and ending second behind Zany within the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on Dec. 6. If for any purpose Leaping the Gun just isn’t prepared for her greatest effort off the layoff, or if she doesn’t deal with the two-turf route distance of this race, the highest challenger within the discipline might be #7 A. P.’s Lady skilled by Peter Eurton. A. P.’s Lady comes into this on a two-race successful streak at this distance at Honest Grounds together with her maiden victory and a 5 ¼-length allowance win final day out.
Race 10: $100,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes
Distance: One mile on turf for 3-year-olds and up
Put up Time: 4:20 p.m. ET
Wagering menu: Win/place/present, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, tremendous hi-5, double, decide 3
Background: The Henry Clark Stakes serves because the native prep race for the $250,000, Grade 3 Dinner Get together Stakes to be run at 1 1/8 miles at Laurel on the Could 16 Preakness Stakes undercard.
Clark Stakes Evaluation: The Henry Clark Stakes has drawn a deep and proficient 11-horse discipline set to run a mile on the turf and there are a number of attention-grabbing contenders within the discipline. The important thing might be to seek out the horse(s) that do their greatest operating on the grass, which may slender down the sector fairly a bit since horses like #5 Horsepower and #11 Child Max could also be higher on all-weather tracks, and #4 Bartlett could also be higher on the dust. The horse to beat would be the red-hot #7 Cruise the Nile, who makes his stakes debut for coach Graham Movement coming off three straight wins this previous season at Gulfstream Park together with an allowance non-obligatory claiming win final time over a stacked, stakes-caliber discipline that included Burnham Sq. and Chapman’s Peak. There’s loads of choices on this race for the exactas and trifectas, one of the best of which embrace #2 Naptown, who owns two wins and a 3rd in three prior outings on the Laurel turf course and was not embarrassed final 12 months when fourth in opposition to Grade 1 competitors within the Rogers Woodbine Mile, and #10 Mischievous Angel, who completed a recreation second on this similar race final 12 months.
Race 11: $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes
Distance: 1 1/8 miles on dust for 3-year-olds
Put up Time: 4:49 p.m. ET
Wagering menu: Win/place/present, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, tremendous hi-5, each day double
Background: The Federico Tesio Stakes is Maryland’s longstanding prep race for the Preakness Stakes, and the 2026 winner receives an computerized Preakness berth. The Tesio was a Grade 3 stakes from 1986-1997. The final horse to win each this race and the Preakness was Deputed Testimony in 1983; nevertheless, a number of Tesio graduates have made an influence on the Triple Crown since then together with, most not too long ago, Icabad Crane in 2008 who gained the Tesio after which completed third within the Preakness. In 2011, Tesio runner-up Ruler On Ice went on to win the Belmont Stakes. The 2025 Tesio Sakes winner Pay Billy accepted his Preakness invite and completed seventh.
Federico Tesio Evaluation: A ten-horse discipline of 3-year-olds has been assembled for Saturday’s Tesio. That is really Laurel’s third main stakes race of the season on the street to the Preakness together with February’s Miracle Wooden Stakes and March’s Non-public Phrases Stakes, so it’s no shock that the highest contenders in Saturday’s discipline might be exiting a type of prior preps. On paper and primarily based on velocity figures, it was the Miracle Wooden that was the a lot stronger of these two earlier races, and due to this fact the highest finishers from the Miracle Wooden need to be thought-about extremely in your win tickets this Saturday. #10 Taj Mahal has begun his profession 2-for-2 after gutting-out the Miracle Wooden win by a neck over #5 Let’s Go Lando, however this 1 1/8-mile distance from submit 10 is perhaps a tricky project at low odds. Let’s Go Lando, who subsequently completed third by a size within the Non-public Phrases Stakes, picks up jockey Paco Lopez and would possibly really be a greater wager at this distance. Maybe a fair higher possibility within the Tesio is Non-public Phrases winner #4 Wild Warrior, who lacks an enormous velocity determine up to now in his profession however does personal three wins and seems to have Let’s Go Lando’s quantity after beating that rival in all three of his victories. If you wish to go even deeper in your tickets than Wild Warrior, Let’s Go Lando, and Taj Mahal, one further contender to contemplate on this wide-open race is #6 Shut the Gate, who completed second within the native Spectacular Bid Stakes, third within the Miracle Wooden, after which went to Colonial Downs final time and completed third by a half a size in a tricky allowance discipline that included unbeaten Code Evaluation and I Did I Did, who returned to run fourth in final weekend’s Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes.
